The three human estrogens are estradiol, estrone, and estriol, and belong to the steroid hormone family.

“Estrogen dominance” is a term coined by Harvard physician John R. Lee M.D. It describes a condition where a woman can have deficient, normal, or excessive estrogen but the body has little or no progesterone to balance its effects. Signs and symptoms of estrogen dominance include:

Estrogen dominance is a condition where a woman can have deficient, normal, or excessive estrogen but the body has little or no progesterone to balance its effects.

Harvard physician John R. Lee M.D.

Speeds up the aging process

Weight gain around middle

Allergies

Autoimmune disorders

Breast cancer

Breast tenderness

Cold hands and feet as a symptom of thyroid dysfunction

Decreased sex drive

Muscle and joint pain

Depression

Dry eyes

Early onset of menstruation

Uterine cancer

Fat gain in abdomen, hips, and thighs

Fatigue

Fibrocystic breasts

Foggy thinking

Hair loss

Headaches

Hypoglycemia

Increased blood clotting

Infertility

Irregular menstrual periods

Insomnia

Memory loss

Mood swings

PMS

Ovarian cysts

Pre-menopausal bone loss

Sluggish metabolism

Thyroid dysfunction

Uterine cancer

Uterine fibroids

Water retention and bloatingCauses of Estrogen Dominance Syndrome

Besides the natural hormonal fluctuations of menopause, certain lifestyle choices and conditions can also contribute to estrogen dominance syndrome.

Low-fiber diet

A low-fiber diet causes estrogen levels to be higher, while a diet high in fiber results in decreased estrogen levels in the bloodstream. Why? Excess estrogen is excreted in the bowel. When stool remains in the bowel for a longer time, as in constipation, the estrogen is reabsorbed. Studies have shown that women on a high-fiber diet have lower levels of circulating estrogen. Lower levels of estrogen mean less estrogen stimulation of breast tissue, for example, which reduces the risk of breast cancer.

Overloading the Liver

The liver is a filter of sorts. It detoxifies our body, protecting us from the harmful effects of chemicals, elements in food, environmental toxins, and even natural products of our metabolism, including excess estrogen.

Anything that impairs liver function or ties up the detoxifying function will result in excess estrogen levels, whether it has a physical basis, as in liver disease, or an external cause, as with exposure to environmental toxins, drugs, or dietary substances.

Anything that impairs liver function or ties up the detoxifying function will result in excess estrogen levels

Harvard physician John R. Lee M.D.

Estrogen is produced not only internally but also produced in reaction to chemicals and other substances in our food. When it is not broken down adequately, higher levels of estrogen build up.In like manner, the estrogen dominance syndrome can be evoked in women by too much alcohol, drugs, or environmental toxins, all of which limit the liver’s capacity to cleanse the blood of estrogen.

Environment

We live in an estrogenic or feminizing environment. Certain chemicals in the environment and our foods, one of which is DDT, cause estrogenic effects. Although banned in 1972, DDT, like its breakdown product DDE, is an estrogen-like substance and is still present in the environment.

Chlorine and hormone residues in meats and dairy products can also have estrogenic effects. In men, the estrogenic environment may result in declining quality of sperm or fertility rates.

In women, it may lead to an epidemic of female diseases, all traceable to excess estrogen/deficient progesterone.n industrialized countries such as the United States, diets rich in animal fats, sugar, refined starches, and processed foods can lead to estrogen levels in women twice that of women of third-world countries. We are constantly exposed to xenobiotics (petrochemicals), xenohormone-laden meats and dairy products, forms of pollution, and prescriptions for synthetic hormones (such as the ‘The Pill’ and Premarin).

It isn’t too surprising that estrogen dominance has become an epidemic in industrialized countries. Over exposure to these potentially dangerous substances has significant consequences, one of which is passing on reproductive abnormalities to offspring.

It is irresponsible and dangerous for doctors to be routinely prescribing estrogen for any type of pre-menopausal or menopausal symptom, and this practice can have tragic consequences.

Harvard physician John R. Lee M.D.

Estrogen “deficiency” that is quite often used as an explanation of menopausal symptoms or health problems is not supported by sound research. When a woman’s menstrual cycle is functioning normally, estrogen is the dominant hormone for the first two weeks and is balanced by progesterone, which is the dominant hormone for the latter two weeks.

After menopause, estrogen is still present and continues to be manufactured in fat cells. Most menopausal women have too little estrogen to support pregnancy, but sufficient amounts for other normal body functions. Few women are truly deficient in estrogen; most become progesterone deficient.

If estrogen becomes the dominant hormone and progesterone is deficient, excess estrogen becomes toxic to the body. Progesterone has a balancing effect on estrogen. Supplemental estrogen, even in the slightest amounts, in a woman who doesn’t need it, or who has no progesterone to balance it, can lead to many serious side effects.

When a woman complains of even the slightest menopausal type symptoms, conventional medical doctors will recommend a prescription of estrogen. It is irresponsible and dangerous for doctors to be routinely prescribing estrogen for any type of pre-menopausal or menopausal symptom, and this practice can have tragic consequences.

Resetting the balance

If you suffer from some of the problems mentioned earlier and think your diet or toxins may be causing estrogen dominance in your system, you may want to consult with an innovative functional medicine physician who recognizes the syndrome of estrogen dominance. Such a physician can measure the levels of hormones in your blood or, in the case of progesterone, in your saliva. Estrogen dominance is not a standard medical diagnosis but is entering the lexicon of alternative-minded physicians.

A functional medicine physician would be likely to recommend the following means of resetting your estrogen balance:

Prescribe dietary supplements containing herbs, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. These supplements will promote bile circulation, support breast and hormonal health, and help to deactivate toxic substances and excess hormones, encouraging their elimination from the body.

To balance the excess estrogen, a natural progesterone (in the form of a cream or tincture) may be prescribed to provide a balance in hormones.

Perform aerobic exercise. Research shows that physical activity curtails overproduction of estrogen. However, if taken too far, exercise can abolish periods altogether, resulting in the dangerous condition of Female Athlete Triad.

Optimize your weight. Excess body fat results in conservation of estrogen. This may be why overweight women are at lower risk for osteoporosis; conversely, they are at higher risk of breast and uterine cancer.

If you think you might be suffering from estrogen dominance, please call our office at (304) 263-4927 today to schedule an appointment to begin a personalized treatment plan.

Chiropractic care is considered a safe and effective means to support a comfortable pregnancy, labor and delivery. As a pregnant woman prepares herself for birth, hormonal and physical changes can create a lot of stress and discomfort. Chiropractic care can help soothe the aches and pains associated throughout pregnancy, and prepare the body for a healthy labor and delivery.

First Trimester
Hormonal changes in the body as it adjusts to the early stages of pregnancy can have quite an impact to a woman’s body. This can cause symptoms such as morning sickness, water retention and/or bloating, headaches, mood swings and muscle tension. Since taking medications is not recommended during pregnancy, chiropractic treatment is a safe, non-drug alternative to treat many of these symptoms.

Second Trimester
As a pregnant woman will gain her greatest amount of weight during the second trimester, this can cause her center of gravity to be shifted forward. This shift can put additional stress on the muscles of the lower back and pelvis, causing the lumbar spine to increase its natural arch. Chiropractic adjustments can help reduce low back pain through the duration of pregnancy.

Third Trimester
The continuing weight gains carried in the final months of pregnancy increase more stress and discomfort to the lower back and causing pressure and irritability to the sciatic nerve. Breast enlargement may cause shoulders to hunch and upper back pain to increase. The hormone Relaxin, used to promote greater flexibility of the ligaments and tendons to aid in labor and delivery, is released during the final trimester and may cause joints around the pelvic area to partially dislocate. Chiropractic adjustments can re-establish proper alignment and movement and create a stage for the baby to be delivered in a healthy way. Breech babies, those positioned to be born feet, first are often times the result of pelvic and sacrum misalignment. By doing a few adjustments, the chiropractor can help in aligning these areas to encourage the baby to turn into normal, head first position.

By alleviating the musculoskeletal symptoms of pregnancy, many of the other stress symptoms such as headaches and mood swings can be eased as well. This can give the mother-to-be a more healthy and uncomplicated delivery.